Harper Law
Automatically compiled listing. Details may contain errors.1 lawyer · Waterloo Region
One of 102 law firms listed in Kitchener, and one of 39 handling Family Law.
About Harper Law
Harper Law serves families in transition. Shelly Harper acts as an advocate for clients and also works for families as a mediator, arbitrator, mediator/arbitrator and neutral evaluator. The practice now centres on these alternative ways of resolving disputes, together with collaborative practice.
Harper earned a law degree at the University of Western Ontario in 1983, was called to the bar in 1985 and has practised law in Kitchener ever since. That career includes courtroom appearances before the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, the Divisional Court, the Ontario Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court of Canada.
Harper has completed level 1 and level 2 advanced training in collaborative practice, interdisciplinary collaborative practice training, and mediation training in alternative dispute resolution. Harper is a member of the Law Society of Upper Canada, the Waterloo Law Association and the Ontario Collaborative Law Federation.
The office is at 20 Woolwich St. W in Elora, Ontario, and the phone number is (519) 578-4400.
History
Harper articled at the Law Offices of James W.W. Neeb Q.C. in 1982 and 1983 and practised there as a lawyer from 1985 to 2007. In July 2007 Harper opened the sole practice that's now Harper Law.
Practice areas
Family agreements
Harper helps family law clients negotiate cohabitation agreements, marriage contracts and separation agreements, parenting plans included. Harper's experience also covers complex property and support issues.
Our guide: How to Get a Divorce in Ontario
Collaborative practice
Shelly Harper has completed level 1 and level 2 advanced collaborative practice training and is a past president of Best4all Collaborative Practice of Waterloo Region. It is a voluntary process for settling disputes without going to court, where you keep your own lawyer as your advocate throughout and the team can add collaboratively trained financial or family professionals and mediators.
Mediation/arbitration and neutral evaluation
Shelly Harper serves families as a mediator, arbitrator, mediator/arbitrator and neutral evaluator. In mediation/arbitration, any issues left after mediation go to a hearing, and the same person decides them as arbitrator in an award. As a neutral evaluator, Harper helps the parties negotiate by giving a neutral evaluation of the issues on the table.
Good to know
Accessible parking
By appointmentHow Harper Law works
Each of these processes leaves room to balance legal rights and interests. In an interest-based process the parties control the outcome, and how long it takes turns on how willing and able the two of them are to cooperate and reach a solution.
The first step is choosing a process to move forward in and reach resolution within. Fees follow the time professionals spend on your matter, so when both parties come cooperative, focused and prepared, less time is spent and the fees reflect it.
Milestones & recognition
- 1994: co-wrote Civil Action for Childhood Sexual Abuse (Butterworths) with James Neeb, a book that arose out of the Supreme Court of Canada's decision in M. (K.) v. M. (H.).
- 1994: presented a paper, Civil Remedies and Victims of Incest, at the National Family Law Conference in Victoria, BC.
- June 2005: co-chaired the organizing committee for the Ontario Collaborative Law Federation's annual conference.
- September 20, 2007: invited speaker at a collaborative practice symposium in Hamilton.
- 2010: presenter and chairperson at lunches of the Collaborative Family Law Association of Waterloo Wellington.
- April 2016: presented at the Ontario Collaborative Law Federation's conference.
In the community
- Gave guest lectures each year from 1986 to 1994 at Wilfrid Laurier University's Faculty of Social Work.
- Spoke to Community Resources for Women in Kitchener about section 15 of the Charter and its impact on women's issues.
Affiliations & connections
- Best4all Collaborative Practice of Waterloo Region: Shelly Harper is a past president and a current executive member.
Frequently asked questions
- Can Shelly Harper be my lawyer and also mediate between my ex and me?
- No. They're separate functions, so Shelly Harper can't be one party's lawyer and the mediator for both parties.
- Does Harper Law share a parenting plan template?
- Yes, a parenting plan template is among Harper Law's helpful links. A plan has three main areas: how the parents make important decisions, the schedule of care for the children, and a problem-solving protocol for any issues about the children. It's attached as a schedule to the separation agreement and binds the parents.
- Is Harper Law trained to screen for domestic violence in family arbitrations?
- Shelly Harper has completed a 14-hour program on assessing domestic violence and power imbalances in family law arbitrations.
Where to find them
Kitchener, ON N2H 2H2
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